-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Authorities scoured the national park around Washington 's Mount Rainier on Sunday for a man they say fatally shot a park ranger and fled into the woods , a park spokeswoman said .

The suspect remained at large Sunday night , believed to be somewhere in the expansive park , Mount Rainier National Park spokeswoman Lee Taylor said .

Four to five feet of snow is on the ground , including about two feet of fresh powder , where the gunman escaped .

`` There 's a lot of snow on the ground , -LRB- and -RRB- it would be difficult to move through quickly , '' Taylor told CNN . `` And it 's heavily forested . ''

The bloodshed began with what the spokesman called `` a normal traffic stop '' around 10:30 a.m. PT -LRB- 1:30 p.m. ET -RRB- . But the suspect did n't heed a request to pull over , prompting a ranger to radio ahead requesting assistance .

Park ranger Margaret Anderson , 34 , responded to that call and set up her patrol vehicle as a roadblock .

`` When he -LRB- the shooter -RRB- arrived at that spot , he got out -LRB- of his car -RRB- and fatally shot her , '' said Taylor .

The suspect then ran into the spacious national park , whose border is about 50 miles southeast of Seattle . The park -- the centerpiece being the 14,410-foot Mount Rainier , which is considered an active volcano -- comprises 235,625 acres in the Cascade Range .

Entrances to the park were closed after the shooting . Taylor said that authorities were able to `` evacuate most of the people ... safely , '' with more than 100 people `` holed up in our primary visitor center '' with food , water and five law enforcement officers standing guard .

`` We do n't want to try to have those people get to their vehicle and caravan down the park road where it could be dangerous , being sniped at by a gunman , '' the spokeswoman said Sunday night . `` So for now , they are going to sit tight in the visitor center . ''

Anderson was the mother of a 4-year-old and 1-year-old and the wife of a fellow park ranger , according to Taylor .

A ranger at Mount Rainier for the past four years , Anderson `` was on the job not for money or for glory , but out of a love for wild places and the national parks , '' said Taylor .

She is survived by her husband , who is also a park ranger , as well as a 4-year-old and a 1-year-old .

`` She was a person with a quick smile , a very gentle person , a very competent ranger , '' said Taylor . `` This gunman took the life of somebody who had a great deal to live for and was making great contributions to society by being a national park ranger . ''

CNN 's Adam Shivers contributed to this report .

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NEW : More than 100 people will stay in a visitor center until the situation is safe , a spokeswoman says

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NEW : There 's 4 to 5 feet of snow in a forested area where the shooter fled , she adds

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The man evaded a roadblock in Mount Rainier National Park and fatally shot a park ranger

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The slain ranger is a 34-year-old mother of two small children